FIG. 1.
eca1 mutation enhances virulence in the amoeba A. castellanii. Cryptococcal yeast cells of the wild type (WT), eca1 insertion mutant AI-5C9, and two independent eca1Δ deletion mutants (eca1-11 and eca1-26) were inoculated into amoeba cell culture at an MOI of 2:1 (left panels) or into amoeba-free medium (PYG; right panels), and were cultured at either 30°C (top panels) or 37°C. A total of 1 × 106 cryptococcal cells were inoculated into amoebae or medium (gray bars), and fungal cells were isolated 24 h (white bars) or 48 h (hatched bars) after incubation, with growth measured by plating on YPD medium and counting CFU after culture at 30°C for 2 days. *, P < 0.05.